About

Professor Xiaoli Nan is involved in research related to communication, health promotion, and persuasive messaging. The page highlights her role as an advisor to current and former Ph.D. students, many of whom have gone on to hold positions as tenure-track assistant professors or other academic roles in communication and related fields. Her former students have conducted research on topics such as opioid stigma, episodic future thinking for mobile health interventions, persuasive effects of narratives in immersive environments, medication adherence, health message effectiveness, and vaccine acceptance. The emphasis on her mentorship and the success of her students suggests a focus on communication strategies, health communication, and persuasive communication within her academic work.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Psychology
• Nursing
• Medicine
• Public relations
• Social psychology
• Psychiatry
• Virology
• Communication

Selected publications

• The Promise and Limits of Conversational Agents for Misinformation Correction: A Systematic Review of Experimental Evidence

  Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media · 2026-04-24

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Framing morality: a systematic review of experimental research on the persuasive effects of moral appeals

  Review of Communication · 2026-05-22

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Proximal and Distal Psychological Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the U.S.: A Theory-Guided Systematic Review

  PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · 2026-03-28

  preprintSenior author

  COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has been a persistent threat to public health in the US and worldwide. Developing effective interventions to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy requires a thorough understanding of its psychological roots. Drawing on the Health Belief Model, we developed a proximal–distal framework to conceptually distinguish between proximal (i.e., COVID-19 related) and distal (i.e., COVID-unrelated) psychological determinants of vaccine hesitancy. Guided by this framework, we conducted a systematic review of published quantitative studies examining associations between psychological factors and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (k = 90). The review uncovered a total of 20 distinct proximal psychological predictors, among which perceived susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus, perceived severity of COVID-19 infections, and perceived risks and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine were prominent drivers. In terms of distal psychological predictors, we identified 22 distinct factors, among which Republican affiliation, Democratic affiliation, conservative political ideology, and general attitudes toward vaccines were particularly salient predictors. Collectively, the proposed proximal–distal framework and the identified predictors offer important theoretical and practical implications for understanding and reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

  Publisher

• Vaccine communication: a critical review of foundations, challenges, and future directions

  npj Vaccines · 2026-05-18

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Vaccination remains one of the most effective public health interventions, yet sustaining uptake is increasingly challenged by complex informational and political environments. This review provides a targeted synthesis of existing evidence on vaccine communication, examining its foundations, emerging challenges, and future directions. It underscores the need for strategies that address misinformation, polarization, evolving policy contexts, and declining trust, while also considering emerging tools that may enhance communication and strengthen the resilience of immunization systems.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Proximal and Distal Psychological Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the U.S.: A Theory-Guided Systematic Review

  2026-03-28

  articleSenior author

  COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy has been a persistent threat to public health in the US and worldwide. Developing effective interventions to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy requires a thorough understanding of its psychological roots. Drawing on the Health Belief Model, we developed a proximal–distal framework to conceptually distinguish between proximal (i.e., COVID-19 related) and distal (i.e., COVID-unrelated) psychological determinants of vaccine hesitancy. Guided by this framework, we conducted a systematic review of published quantitative studies examining associations between psychological factors and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy (k = 90). The review uncovered a total of 20 distinct proximal psychological predictors, among which perceived susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus, perceived severity of COVID-19 infections, and perceived risks and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine were prominent drivers. In terms of distal psychological predictors, we identified 22 distinct factors, among which Republican affiliation, Democratic affiliation, conservative political ideology, and general attitudes toward vaccines were particularly salient predictors. Collectively, the proposed proximal–distal framework and the identified predictors offer important theoretical and practical implications for understanding and reducing COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

  PublisherDOI

• The Promise and Limits of Conversational Agents for Misinformation Correction: A Systematic Review of Experimental Evidence

  PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) · 2026-04-16

  preprint

  Conversational agents have been proposed as scalable tools for correcting misinformation, yet empirical findings remain fragmented. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 15 randomized experimental studies examining conversational-agent interventions across diverse contexts. The review maps key design features and evaluates their effects on agent perceptions and misinformation-related outcomes. Overall, conversational agents reliably outperform no-intervention controls but show mixed advantages over non-conversational corrections. Effects are context- and user-dependent, with moderation by demographics or dispositions. Findings highlight both the promise and boundaries of conversational agents for misinformation correction.

  Publisher

• Framing Morality: A Systematic Review of Experimental Research on the Persuasive Effects of Moral Appeals

  2026-03-30

  articleSenior author

  Morality influences how individuals interpret sociopolitical issues and make decisions. Moral framing uses moral language to shape opinion, and moral appeals are persuasive messages that advance a position by explicitly invoking moral principles or values. This systematic review synthesized 34 publications comprising 57 individual randomized controlled experiments that examined the persuasive effects of moral framing. Results showed moral appeals can effectively shift attitudes and behaviors, particularly when aligned with an audience’s ideological values. Many studies have shown that liberals respond more favorably to individualizing appeals, whereas conservatives are more receptive to binding appeals. It remains unclear if moral appeals are inherently more persuasive. Studies found non-moral appeals were as or more persuasive, especially with low moral relevance. Moreover, moral framing sometimes led to backfire effects, reducing engagement among low-knowledge or ideologically resistant audiences. Findings highlight moral framing’s conditional nature, with persuasion outcomes depending on both audience characteristics and issue-specific factors. Tailoring moral appeals to audience values enhances their effectiveness, but scholars should be mindful of potential backlash when moral frames conflict with entrenched beliefs. By clarifying the conditions under which moral appeals succeed or fail, this study contributes to a more nuanced and effective use of moral communication in an increasingly polarized world.

  PublisherDOI

• The Promise and Limits of Conversational Agents for Misinformation Correction: A Systematic Review of Experimental Evidence

  2026-04-19

  articleSenior author

  Conversational agents have been proposed as scalable tools for correcting misinformation, yet empirical findings remain fragmented. This systematic review synthesizes evidence from 15 randomized experimental studies examining conversational-agent interventions across diverse contexts. The review maps key design features and evaluates their effects on agent perceptions and misinformation-related outcomes. Overall, conversational agents reliably outperform no-intervention controls but show mixed advantages over non-conversational corrections. Effects are context- and user-dependent, with moderation by demographics or dispositions. Findings highlight both the promise and boundaries of conversational agents for misinformation correction.

  PublisherDOI

• The Moral Machine? Ideological AI Partially Simulates Human Responses to Moral Framing

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Effects of COVID-19 e-mental health interventions: A systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

  Internet Interventions · 2025-01-18 · 1 citations

  reviewOpen accessSenior author

  The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on global mental health. E-mental health has the potential to enhance the quality of care and can be swiftly implemented on a large scale. We performed a systematic review of systematic reviews, including meta-analyses, to assess the effects of COVID-19 e-mental health interventions. We followed an established search, screening, coding, and reporting protocol. Methodological quality was evaluated using the Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2) checklist. The searches resulted in a total of 2341 articles. Of these, twelve systematic and meta-analytic reviews were included. The findings indicated that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychoeducation were the most used mental health intervention types. E-mental health interventions were delivered via various communication channels including videoconferencing, telephone-based approaches, and mobile applications. E-mental health interventions have demonstrated their effectiveness in addressing prevalent mental health issues, particularly anxiety, depression, and stress. This study underscores the importance of e-mental health interventions in enhancing accessibility and efficiency to reduce mental health symptoms, providing valuable insights for policymakers and clinicians addressing mental health challenges exacerbated by global pandemics. • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychoeducation were the most used mental health intervention types. • E-mental health interventions were delivered via various communication channels including videoconferencing, telephone-based approaches, and online applications (e.g., smartphone apps and virtual support groups). • E-mental health interventions have demonstrated their effectiveness in addressing prevalent mental health issues, particularly anxiety, depression, and stress. • The importance of e-mental health interventions in enhancing accessibility and efficiency to reduce mental health symptoms.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Self-Affirmation and Responses to Smoking Risk Messages among African Americans

  NIH · $163k · 2014–2017

• Self-Affirmation and Responses to Smoking Risk Messages among African Americans

  NIH · $194k · 2014–2016

• NIH Grant R03CA15057002

  NIH · $75k · 2014

• NIH Grant R03CA150570

  NIH · $75k · 2013

Frequent coauthors

• Jarim Kim

  Yonsei University

  15 shared

• Kathryn Thier

  George Mason University

  14 shared

• Yuan Wang

  Huazhong University of Science and Technology

  14 shared

• Irina A. Ileş

  13 shared

• Zexin Ma

  University of Connecticut

  12 shared

• Xiaoquan Zhao

  George Mason University

  10 shared

• Linda Verrill

  Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

  10 shared

• Kelly Daily

  LASALLE College of the Arts

  8 shared

Labs

• Center for Political Communication & Civic LeadershipPI

Education

• Ph.D.

  University of Minnesota

Awards & honors

• Mayhew Derryberry Award (2018)
• Lewis Donohew Outstanding Health Communication Scholar Award…
• Outstanding Health Communication Scholar Award (2022)